Rosa schaeffer



(No Model.)

B. SCHAEFPER. AUTOMATIC SHUT-OFF MECHANISM FOR WATER TANKS. No. 530,659.

Patented Dec. 11,1894.

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W T/VESSES J m: Nmms vz'rzns ca. PHOTO-LIT UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROSA SCHAEFFER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC SHUT-OFF MECHANISM FOR WATER-TANKS.

SPEQIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 530,659, dated December11, .1894.

A Application filed March 26,1894. Serial No, 505,081. (No model.)

, zen of the United States, residing in the city,

county, and State of New York, have invented certain: new and usefulImprovements in Automatic. Shut-Off Mechanism for Water- ?anks, of whichthe following is a specifica- This invention has reference to animproved shut-off mechanism for water-tanks, by which the supply ofwater to the tank is automatically interrupted by shutting down the pumpand by which also the level of the water in the tank is indicated in areliable and eifective manner, so as to prevent the overflow and wasteof water and thereby enable a considerable saving in the expense ofrunning the pump; and also the invention relates to means in connectionwith the mechanical indicator whereby the lowness of the water in thetank is electrically announced.

My invention consists of certain features of construction andcombinations of parts to be hereinafterdescribed and then specificallyclaimed.

In the the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a front elevation,partly in section, showing only those parts which are necessary to afull and clear understanding of the invention. Fig. 2 is a plan viewpartly in section. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section on line 3-3,Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all of the figures.

Referring to the drawings, letter A represents a suitable water-tankwhich is located on the roof or other elevated point, and which issupplied with water by means of a pump B, said pump being locatedpreferably in the cellar or basement of the building and being operatedby gas, coal or other fuel. The pump shown is combined with an engine,and is of a well-known type, the same being run by gas. A pipe 0connects the discharge end of the pump with the tank, said pipe beingpreferably conducted through one of the airshafts of the building to theupper part of the tank.

A suitable frame or shelf D supports most of the main working parts ofthe apparatus,

and on the same is arranged a suitableguideway (I which receives andguides a slide E.

Chains or cables 6 are connected at one end with one end of the slide E,and are guided around pulleys e on the frame D, while the other ends ofthe chains are attached to the trip=levers F, F, &GG., said trip leversbeing fnlcrumed on suitable brackets or other supports. The ends of thetrip-levers F, F, &c., are adapted to engage the outer ends of arms f,f, 620., which are applied to the spindles of the stop-cocks s, s, 850.,arranged respectively in the difierent supply-pipes of the pump andengine, the air-chamber of the same and in the water-supply-pipe O ofthe tank.

All of the arms f,f', 850., are provided with weights so that as soon asthe trip-levers F, F, &c., are released from the same they are movedthrough an angle of ninety degrees moreor less, and place the stop-cocksinto an open or closed position, as required by the pipes or other partsto which they are applied. To the end of the slide E opposite the chainse is attached a chain or cord 9 which passes over a pulley g on theframe D and supports at its lower end a weight G, which exerts a pull onthe slide in the direction of the arrow. hen the parts of the apparatusare set in working order the shoulder or lug E on the slide engages atransverse latch H which is pivoted at one end between lugs h andsupports at its other end a pendent weight it whereby the latch is helddown against the slide. Attached by one end to the latch H is a chain orcableI which passes upwardly over an elevated pulley I and thendownwardly over a pulley t at one end of the frame D, the opposite endof said chain being attached to a bucket or other receptacle J providedwith minute perforations j in its bottom. An overflow pipe K leads froma point of the tank ashort distance from its top and has at its lowerend a suitable discharge nozzle extending into the open top of thereceptacle J.

The weight on the latch H is sufticient to overcome the weight of thereceptacle J, but after the pump begins to work and water is forced intothe tank, the water will rise in the latter until it reaches the inletopening of the overflow pipe K, and, as it cannot rise above saidopening the over-supply will flow down through said pipe and into saidreceptacle, and when sufficient water accumulates therein to overcomethe weight of the latch and the weight suspended thereby, the latch israised and the slide E released. Upon the releasing of the slide theweight G attached thereto exerts a pull on the same and the chains orcables 6 also attached thereto, so that the trip-levers F, F, &c., aredisengaged from the arms fif, &c., and the weights of the latterpermitted to lower them, whereby the stop-cocks are opened or closed, asre quired by the openings which they control. In this manner the supplyof water to the tank is immediately and automatically interrupted andthe operation of the engine and pump arrested. When the water is againlowered in the tank, it is necessary to draw back the slide by means ofa suitable pullchain or rope S and reset the different valves by placingtheir arms into engagement-with the trip-levers, so as to re-establishthereby the working point of the engine and pump and enable the tank tobe filled and the working of the parts to be continued in the samemanner as before. Said perforations in the receptacle J permit the waterwhich flows thereinto to be finally discharged from the same, after theworking of the apparatus has stopped, so that the freezing of any waterin the receptacle is prevented, and as the receptacle is empty theweight supported by the latch is permitted to return the latter and thebucket to their original position.

For the the purpose of indicating the level of the water in the tank, afloat L is located in the same, said float being connected by a chain orrope L with a counter-balancing weight Z located, in the basement orcellar. Said chain L passes over guide-pulley Z above the tank, and asthe float rises with the water, the weight Zis lowered. A verticalstationary scale M is arranged near the supporting-frame D, said scalebeing graduated in feet corresponding to the depth of the tank, thegraduations increasing from the lower end toward the top. A metallicpointer N is suspended from one end of a chain or wire cord N, whichpasses over pulleys n, n, and the other end of which is connected to thelower end of the float-chain L so that as the weight Z decends orascends, the pointer N is moved up or down along the scale M and thelevel of the water in the tank indicated.

In connection with the pointer N I prefer to arrange an electric alarmdevice, so that when the pointer arrives at the lower art of the scalean audible signal is given at some distant point of the building,warning the attendant of the low level of the water in the tank.

0 indicates a conducting wire of an electric circuit, which alsocomprises a battery 0 and a bell 0 located in another portion of thebuilding. One end of wire 0 is electrically connected with the metallicbase on which pulley n is mounted and the other end is electricallyconnected with a metallic contact bar or piece P which is pivoted atabout its midlength on a pin 1). An insulating piece pis set into thelower forward corner of the contact bar P, and the latter is retained innormal horizontal position by means of a fallbar Q which is pivoted atone end on apin q and engages the rear end of said contact bar, astop-pin 1 being located under the fall-bar so as to prevent its fallingbelow horizontal position. The bell is rung as soon as the pointer Nimpinges against the contact bar P, the electric circuit beingestablished through the conducting wire, the pulley n, the chain N, thepointer, and the contact bar. As the pointeris further lowered it raisesthe rear end of the contact-bar, overcoming the weight of the fall-barQ, until pressing past the forward end of the contact-bar the circuit isbroken, the bell stops ringing and the contact-bar and fall-bar assumetheir original position. When the pointer is rising during the fillingof the tank it strikes the forward insulated portion of the contact-barand raises and passes by said end without again ringing the bell andgiving a false alarm.

By the automatic action of the shut-oft mechanism, the waste of watercaused by the overflow of the tank is prevented, and a considerablesaving in the expense of working the pump, in the time of the attendant,850., is obtained.

It is to be understood that when the word chain is used in the claimsequivalent parts, such as wire-rope, 850., are comprehended.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. The combination, of a water-tank, a pump, asupply-pipe-leading from the pump to the tank, supply pipes for thepump, stopcocks in all of said pipes, an overflow-pipe leading from thetank and provided with a discharge-nozzle, a suspended receptaclelocated below said discharge-nozzle, a slide provided with a shoulder,means for operating the slide, a latch extending transversely of saidslide and adapted to engage said shoulder, a connection between thereceptacle and latch, and means interposed between the slide and thestop-cocks whereby the same may be operated when the latch is disengagedfrom the slide, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, of a water-tank, a pump, a supply-pipe leading fromthe pump to the tank, supply-pipes for the pump, stopcocks in all ofsaid pipes, an overflow-pipe leading from the tank and provided with adischarge-nozzle, a suspended receptacle located below saiddischarge-nozzle, a slide, a weight, a chain connecting the latter tothe slide, a pulley over which the chain passes, a latch adapted toengage said slide, a connection between the receptacle and latch, meansinterposed between the slide and the stopcocks, whereby the same may beoperated when the latch is disengaged from the slide, and a pull-chainconnected with the slide, for resetting the same, substantially as setforth.

3. The combination of a water tank, a pump, a supply-pipe leading fromthe pump to the tank, supply-pipes for the pump, stopcocks in all ofsaid pipes, an overflow-pipe leading from the tank and provided with adischarge-nozzle, a perforated receptacle located below saiddischarge-nozzle, a chain for suspending said receptacle, a pulley overwhich said chain passes, a pivoted latch connected with said chain,means for depressing the latch, a slide provided with a shoulder adaptedto be engaged by said latch, means i 5 ROSA SCHAEFFER.

Witnesses:

PAUL GoEPEL, K. R. BRENNAN.

